Forever Yours
by Anonymous181
Summary: Taking place 3 years after the ending of the original anime, Takato and Junta are now happily married and they even have a son named Ena. This is my idea of what thier future would be like since I am a huge fan of this anime and pairing. I hope you other fans enjoy it as well! :) And yes, Ena is a unisex Japanese name meaning "A Gift from God"
1. Part 1

Junta x Takato

Takato Saijo, a veteran actor since 23 years in the show industry, was back home from the studio after his shoot, worn out and feeling harrased. He had just flopped down on a sofa and was trying to get his condensed mind back together. Acting was a tough job, especially when you were the lead actor who the rest of the crew and cast depended on. It was easy to get physically and mentally drained under this kind of pressure. Plus, the new amateur actor, Chihiro Ayagi was also present at the shoot and was co-starring with Takato again. Takato had already tried to keep his distance from him, especially after that specific incident but Chihiro wouldn't take no for an answer and constantly kept on trying to get closer to him, even after experiencing Azumayas seemingly constant threats and warnings to keep his distance from him. Working again with him seemed like a never ending nightmare. Boy would Azumaya get mad when he found out what Ayagi was upto again. He had already taken a strong dislike to him and would probably not spare him this time if he found out. Azumaya could be extremely scary when he got mad, though cheerful as he usually was, rarely would anyone want to see that side of him. Takato had already seen it once, and only hoped that he did not get to see it ever again. All these thoughts were just going through his mind, when suddenly, he felt a little something holding one of his legs. He looked down and immediately all of his tiredness vanished and his ocean blue eyes softened. For holding his leg was Ena, Takato and Azumayas 2 year old son. He was a little beauty, with golden hair like Azumaya and bright blue eyes like Takato. A perfect combination of them both. "Hello Takato-san" he said in his soft little voice. "Hello Ena sweetheart!" replied Takato. He lifted him up into his lap. "How was your day?" asked Takato. "Ok" replied Ena. "I missed you Takato-san" Takato kissed him lovingly on his little head. "I missed you too Ena" he said. The truth was that Takato too missed Ena alot and hoped to be with him the entire day. Some days he was thinking about him so much that he had trouble focusing. At first, Takato was not very fond of kids. He was known for being stuffy, cold and highly competitive. His only focus was his work and career. He even gave Azumaya a hard time in the beginning. So when Azumaya asked him if he was willing to have a kid around the house,Takato was not so sure. He himself had entered the acting industry when he was just 8 years old. So he was not very good with kids. The only kid he had ever interacted with was his manager Sasakis young daughter, Nana. But even then, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel towards kids. Azumaya on the other hand, was lively and cheerful. Kids would naturally be attracted to him. He still reluctantly agreed, for Azumayas sake. However, the day Ena arrived, Takato found a side of his revealing itself that even he did know existed within him. "Takato-san, good work today!" said Azumaya, coming from the kitchen and greeting him. This had been his signature greeting for Takato, ever since the beginning. Azumaya was an amateur actor, and Takatos partner. He had joined the acting industry 6 years ago and had since then, proven to be a talented actor, coming as close as to beating Takato himself. "He was waiting for you. He kept asking me when would you come back" he said, referring to Ena in Takatos lap. "Yes, he told me" he replied. "He loves his Takato-san very much" Azumaya said. "Didn't you play with him?" asked Takato. "I tried" said Azumaya "But he mostly kept missing you". A smile played at the edges of Takatos mouth. It was funny how although Azumaya was the more playful one and the one who mostly stayed around him now, but Ena was way more attached to Takato than he was to Azumaya. Azumaya himself had been surprised when once, Ena had come crying to Takato and clung tightly to his leg and Takato responded by picking him up and rubbing his back while asking him what was wrong. He did not expect such a tender reaction from Takato, who was mostly serious and no nonsense to the point of coldness.Neither compassion nor affection was Takato's thing. But that day Azumaya saw and discovered Takato's hidden side, the much softer and gentler one. When they were dating, glimpses of it showed through then too but now, after embracing fatherhood, it was shining through alot more. His nature had also changed.. somehow he always had a small smile on his face now and was not nearly as haughty as he had been back then,thought Azumaya. "Say Takato-san, shall we have dinner? I've prepared it" "Ahh that's amazing Chunta! I've been starving" Takato replied.

Over dinner, Azumaya asked Takato how was his shoot going. "Its a little difficult" he replied "I'm the lead actor again and of course that means having extra responsibility and pressure." "Don't worry you'll do great as always, Takato-san" said Azumaya reassuring him "I'm having a photoshoot for a magazine as well. The manager called me so I'll have to go tomorrow or day after tomorrow" Takato was really happy to hear this. Both genuinely for Azumaya and because it would mean getting to spend almost the entire day with Ena. He said as much to Azumaya whose Angel wings came out immediately. But Takato was dreading Azumayas next question. He knew that Azumaya was going to ask with whom was he co-starring this time and that would be enough to make his wings disappear and turn his soul black. And that would also mean telling him everything that Chihiro was upto again. Sure enough he asked him "Takato-san who are you co-starring with this time?" Upon hearing this, Takato fell silent for he did not know how to break the news to him. But there was no need for Takato to say anything because his silence was enough of an answer to Azumaya, who knew how to pick up on Takatos emotions and thoughts very well indeed. As expected his mood took a dark turn and the air in the room was filled with tension. Takato opened his mouth to tell Azumaya the rest of the story as well but then decided against it. His mood was already bad enough without having him get up, march out of the house and go straight upto Ayagi's place to strangle him. Because that was exactly the kind of thing that Azumaya WOULD do. He couldn't bear anyone hurting or getting too close to Takato. And ESPECIALLY not Ayagi. He instead decided to take a much safer route. "Chunta it's ok, he.." But he was cut off when suddenly a loud CRASH! and a THUD, followed by the sound of a long wail, rose up from Takato and Azumayas bedroom. "Ena!!" Takato turned as pale as a ghost and in a less than a second was up and running towards the bedroom with Azumaya right behind him looking as worried as himself. Upon reaching the room, he saw Ena on the floor crying and holding the back of his head, his toy blocks scattered all around him. "Ena-chan, are you alright?? What happened?? Did you get hurt??" Apparently he had been playing with his toys and was trying to build a block tower but unaware that it had become too unstable to get any taller, kept trying to stack further blocks. Unfortunately it ended up collapsing back on himself and due to the fright, he had fallen backwards and hit the rear part of his head on the leg of the bed quite hard. Or at least that's what Takato understood had happened.He picked him up and rubbed the back of his head gently while poor Ena, who having put his arms around his neck, was howling in his shoulder "AIEEEE IT HURTSS TAKATO-SANNN" "There there, it's okay sweetie" he said while continuing to rub his head. He placed a tender kiss on the place where it was hurting him "Its going to be alright". Takato kept holding him in his arms and rubbing his head some more until he stopped crying and gave him water to soothe his hiccups. After a while he became absolutely still which worried Azumaya but Takato reassured him that he was okay, just in a little bit of a shock. After some more time, he fell asleep right there in Takato's arms and Takato asked Azumaya to bring Ena's blanket which he covered him completely with. He checked the place where he had gotten hit once again but did not feel any kind of lump which was a great relief to him and told Azumaya as much who also seemed finally able to relax then. "Poor little guy, it must have been very scary and painful for him to have had to experience that" said Azumaya. "Yes" said Takato looking at the now peaceful and sleeping Ena again. He kissed him once more on the top of his head "But he's alright now thankfully" "You know Takato-san" Azumaya said to him "I've never seen such love and warmth in your eyes as I did today when you were comforting Ena. I've also noticed it when you are always around him. And they sparkle too. You were not like this before. Your eyes were always cold and calculating and your attitude a high - and -mighty one" Takato partly smiled, turned bright red and put his head down.. half out of joy and half due to embarrassment. After a while when he found his tongue back again he said "It's all thanks to you Azumaya. You were the one who changed me remember. You made me feel what it was like to be loved. I had never felt love before that. Experiencing the power of true love once would be enough to change even the hardest of hearts I guess. That's just what the meaning of love is. And the feeling of parenthood is something beautiful in it's own. I never knew that till I experienced it too. I thought I was not fit to be a father. But I guess that feeling and ability is pre-set in every human beings nature from the start. It's just to let it out once and then it becomes something like an addiction. It's extremely hard to get rid of. And it has a great effect on you too.It makes you so much more gentler. But don't think that I have become too soft! I can and am going to beat you to the top again Azumaya! No one beats Takato Saijo, the best and number one!" Takato said while hitting him playfully. Azumaya laughed and said "Yes I know Takato-san. I am waiting for that day. Let's see when it comes.. if it ever does" he said while smirking. "And if you do manage to win, I'll give you 1000 yen". "Go to hell Chunta" Takato said jokingly. Which made Azumayas smile angelically. "Do you want to watch a movie, Takato-san? It's a weekend night" said Azumaya. "Alright sure. But what about Ena? I hope he doesn't wake up because you know he won't go to sleep without me" Takato said looking down at Ena. "Don't worry we'll keep the voice low. He can keep sleeping with you" said Azumaya. Thus the two superb actors settled down to watch a movie themselves and enjoy their weekend night.


	2. Part 2

Takato x Junta

Takato was sitting on the front doorstep of the house after a long day, enjoying looking at the stars and moon and breathing in the fresh air from their garden. The garden that he and Junta had worked hard on for so many months. It was a very effective dose of therapy to calm his nerves whenever he needed to after a hectic day. The truth was, Takato was close to nature, though not many people would know or even assume that on the basis of his serious, focused, no nonsense image that he displayed in public. Nature and gardens were for dreamy people, those who liked having time and space alone to themselves and for artistic people, who would often take their inspirations to create from it's beautiful scenery around them. But again in reality, Takato was a completely different person at home than he was at work. Something that no one other than Junta knew the best. So here he was, enjoying the scents of flowers and the grass and the scenic beauty of the garden. The winter air was cold and biting and Takato was regretting not having worn his thick, fuzzy, coat before coming outside. He rubbed his arms in an attempt to generate some warmth, when suddenly, the main door of the house opened and a blast of warmth hit Takato in the back. Ahhh, how soothing it felt. The house was always at a much warmer temperature than the outside during winters. It was so warm that one could easily wear a half sleeved shirt inside the house while it was 5 degree Celsius outside. It was mainly thanks to Azumaya, who although did not admit it, but felt and then hated the cold as well. In the morning, Junta activated the central heating system long before anyone was awake and during the night, he turned it off but then put a radiator on in every room. Takato was half inclined to go back inside the house and get under the bed covers but he did not really want to leave this place right now either. "Hello Takato-san! "What are you doing sitting out here alone?" Takato looked back to see Ena coming out of the house, with a scarf so big around his neck that it covered his mouth even. He was also wearing a hat, coat and mittens. Looking at him, Takato was reminded of an Eskimo that he had seen on TV once. "Hello Ena-chan!" he answered him back. "I see you came fully prepared for the outside, eh?" "Yes, Junta-san did it to me, but you must be feeling very cold, Takato-san. You are not even wearing your coat. Shall I bring it for you?" Listening to this, Takato couldn't help but smile. Ena's fine observation skills never failed to surprise him, even though he was only 4 yet. He noticed things and changes, even subtle ones, which hardly anyone else did. A trait he inherited from Takato himself, no doubt about that. His level of maturity and emotional intelligence were also far beyond that of his biological age. He could quickly and accurately sense the shifts in a person's mood even at this age, and was always ready to extend a hand to them and to anyone else who seemed to be in need of help by asking them, like he asked Takato right now if he wanted his coat. Another trait which he inherited from Azumaya this time, whose social and interpersonal skills won him many people's hearts and earned him his public nickname of "Angel",Takato thought to himself. "No thank you Ena-chan. I'm fine. Come and sit with me here and then I'll get warm as well" he said patting his knee. So Ena came and snuggled up next to Takato who put his arms around him and pretty soon, neither of them was feeling too cold. "So, how was school today?" Takato asked him. He asked him this every single day because Ena had just begun school 2 months before, in November, and Takato was alive to the fact that it would be a very stressful and challenging experience for him at first. He was a quiet kid with a shy personality which made it difficult and a bit frightening for him to mix in groups and interact with strangers. But when he finally chose to become close to anyone, he was an extremely naughty, affectionate, funny and kind child. Someone whom it was a real pleasure to be around with. His already close relationship with Takato would be a channel through which to address any questions and concerns he might be having during his adjustment period. "It was fine." he replied. Takato sensed the disdain in his voice but waited for an explanation from him before telling him so. Ena always shared everything with Takato. He knew well that Takato-san was the one person he could go to with any problem and he would always have his back. One day, a few months before starting school, Takato had a conversation with him that went something like this:

Takato: "Ayumi-chan?"

Ena: "Yes,Takato-san?"

Takato: "You know that I love you very much, right?"

Ena: "Yes Takato-san you have told me that so many times. I love you too."

Takato: " Aw, thank you sweetie! So then, Ayumi-chan, just remember that whenever you are scared of anything or when you want to talk about anything, you can always come to me and I'll be there to hug you like this": He hugged Ayumi tightly and tickled him a bit which made him laugh and squeal. "And help you out with it. Alright?"

Ena: "You mean like best friends?"

Takato: "Exactly! We are best friends Ena-chan."

Ena: "Ok Takato-san. I will always tell you everything then".

Takato: "Good boy,"

Takato said while kissing him on his head. Ena thought about this and was silent for some time. Then he said to Takato "If I tell you, do you promise not to mind, Totaka-san?" "Of course not sweetheart!" I told you that before as well. Have I ever minded anything that you told me? So if you are feeling afraid to tell me now, which, by the way, I know you are" he said while tickling him which made him squeal and laugh. "Don't be at all, Ena-chan. I promise I won't ever mind anything that you tell me". "Takato-san… I'm lonely". Takato had been expecting this already and no matter how hard he tried to tell himself that it was just a natural thing for any child starting school to experience, he felt a little sad when he thought about Ena being in the same situation. And now his heart broke a little when he heard him saying that. Ena sensed Takato's feelings and buried his face into his chest, which made him feel even sadder. He stroked his hair and said to him "You are not alone, my dear. I am always here with you." "I know Takato-san. But you are not with me at school right? So I feel sad". Before Ena had begun school, Takato had been his playmate. The two would often sit together and do different kinds of things the entire day. It was natural for him to miss his only companion when he wasn't able to be with him. "It's okay Ena. You'll make lots of new friends soon, I'm sure. And then you will be so busy spending time with them that you won't have time to think about me and get sad. Tell you what, try befriending your class fellows by sharing your lunch with them. I know it's going to be a little difficult at first, but then they are going to see what a nice boy you are and they will want to make friends with you too. How does that sound?" "Yeah I think I can do that. I'm going to try it out tomorrow." ''That's my brave boy." "But I will still love you the most Takato-san. You will always be my only best friend." Takato was deeply moved when he heard this and he became a little teary-eyed. He buried his nose in his hair and said to him "I love you the most too Ena-chan. We will always be together don't worry. When you come home from school now, then we are going to play and if sometimes, when I'm a little too tired to play, then sit outside like this, everyday. Just you and me. Alright?" "Alright Takato-san. Yay, It's going to be so much fun!" Which made Takato smile. They kept sitting in silence for a little while longer until Ena fell asleep in Takato's arms and then he carried him inside to his bed, removed all his mittens, coat, hat and scarf and then tucked him up warmly under his bed covers. "Good night, Ena-chan. I love you my sweet boy", he said and gave him a goodnight kiss on his forehead. He left his door slightly open, since he got terrified if the room was plunged into absolute darkness. Takato had made this mistake once and had woken up to a shrill scream by him in the middle of the night that he doubted he could forget the shock and fright of, for his entire remaining life. He then had to comfort him and get him to calm down for about a half hour before he fell asleep again.

After putting Ena to bed, Takato went to his own bedroom where he saw Junta already under the covers. Takato told Junta about all that Ena had told him and Azumaya nodded. He understood exactly how Ena was feeling because of his own childhood which was much the same, although he was not shy or quiet. It just took him awhile to understand and make sense of the world around him. "He'll be fine with time. Best of all, he has your love and support to help him ease through it. He knows that there is someone he can always count on if things go wrong. That really matters" he reassured Takato. "You are right. He's a bright child, it won't take him long to learn" he agreed.

The next day

Ena came rushing home from school to tell Takato about how successful his advice had been. He was so bursting with excitement that he simply could not sit still.. he had to constantly run here and there to spend his pent-up levels of energy. Azumaya eventually had to tell him off mildly to get him to sit still at the table for his lunch. "ENA-CHAN! At least sit still and have your lunch properly for some time!" he called to him when Ena ran off for the third time during lunch again "Sorry Junta-san. I just can't wait for Takato-san to come home." he said, coming back to the table. Azumaya was half annoyed at Ena being so active because of the difficulty he was having to go through in controlling him and half overjoyed at seeing him so active. Usually the child kept sitting still and quiet for so many hours on end somewhere that both Takato and Azumaya had to check on him at least once, to see if he was alright. These moments came rarely, if they ever did and they were both parent's most enjoyable and precious memories. He smiled at him, then said, "I know darling, but at least finish your lunch here, then you can run around as much as you want." He constantly kept asking him when he would be back home. But when Takato returned home from work at 9 P.M, Ena was already in bed. He had demanded from Junta to stay awake for a little while longer, but he firmly declined the request, saying that he needed to be fresh for school in the morning which made him sulk for a bit until Azumaya offered to read him a bedtime story in return and playfully carried him to bed on piggyback. Eventually he fell asleep and that was when 15 minutes later, Takato returned home from work. "Ahh good work today, Takato-san!" Junta greeted him. "I put Ena-chan to bed already" he told him and then after he was settled down comfortably, he told him the rest of the story about how Ena had had one of his rare hyperactive moments after returning from school because he was so excited to tell Takato about how he had tried what he had told him and how it had earned him a new friend at school. "Honestly that boy could not even sit still for 15 minutes to finish off his lunch! I had to use a little bit of a firm hand on him and after that, he finally finished it. He was even asking me for some extra time to stay up so that he could meet you but I didn't allow him to since it is a school night." Takato chuckled. "He always does that when he is super excited for something. I missed it this time, unfortunately. But Azumaya being stern! Let me inform the public about this. Angel! Really??" he said, playfully taunting Junta. "Ahaha, there is so much that you don't know about me yet, Takato-san" he said, taunting him back. "How was work today?" he asked Takato. "It was good. But extremely hectic. In fact, I think that the next few days I might be really busy". "Oh. But why? Is there a film shooting coming up?" "Yes. And this time my co-star is the veteran actress, Yuri Koruwaki." "Ahhh, a big challenge then" Azumaya guessed. "Exactly. Darn it. Just as I had promised Ena that I would spend some time everyday with him now too." Takato said. "Don't worry, I think he'll get it if we explain it to him." Junta reassured him. "Yeah, we can try" Takato replied. But when next week came, both of them forgot to explain this to him and so began very painful and difficult few days for the little 4-year old.

Next week

Takato was busy memorizing his lines for the shooting. He was having to put in extra effort than normal this time because the lines were very long and with difficult wording. But so absorbed was he in his work of memorizing, that he failed to notice Ena holding one of his legs and calling his name to get his attention, like he always did when Takato was sitting on the couch. He had a fuzzy memory of feeling something small holding it along with a soft voice, but it was more in the background.. like it was happening somewhere far away. Physically, he did not notice him doing it in earnest, either. Ena, on the other hand, kept on holding it for a few more minutes but after still finding Takato unresponsive, he left, feeling very puzzled and sad that his beloved Takato-san had not acknowledged his presence. He wondered if he had done something to make him unhappy and decided to apologize to him later on in case he had. So after Takato was done with his work, he was faced with a very down Ena. He asked him "What's the matter, Ena-chan? You look very sad." "I'm sorry,Takato-san." "Sorry?" Takato was now as confused as Ena was a few minutes ago. "If I did something to upset you, I'm really sorry." he said looking like he was on the verge of tears now. Takato bent down to his level. "But you did nothing, Ena-chan!" he told him. "And neither am I angry with you, sweetheart. Who told you that?" "Oh.. okay" he said, then turned and left for his room, with a still confused Takato looking after him as he left. Takato went to the kitchen, where Azumaya was making dinner. "Oi, Chunta, did something happen to Ena today?" "No, nothing out of the ordinary, Takato-san. Why what happened?" "Well, he just came and apologized to me because he thought he had done something wrong and that I was angry at him. I told him that he did nothing wrong and he said okay, then suddenly he just turned and left for his room." Junta considered this. "That is strange. He has never behaved like this before." "Exactly." Takato said. "Why don't you go and ask him Takato-san? He tells you everything so I'm sure he's going to share this with you as well" Junta suggested. "Well...I can try, I suppose. But he did not exactly seem in the mood to talk to me either." And sure enough, when Takato went to find him to talk to him, he could not be found anywhere. Just as he had suspected. He had hidden himself away in his place, like he always did when he was upset or in a bad mood and didn't want anyone approaching him. No one knew where his this secret place was. He usually came out by himself after some time when he felt better again, but right now, Takato was getting a little worried. Maybe something had happened at school today and he had not asked him about it. Speaking of which, he realised that he had been so busy today that he hadn't even asked him how his day was either. Curse his work. Maybe that is why he is so upset today. Takato thought. No wait. But then, why would he apologize to me? Ahhh.. he must have thought that because I did not ask him about it, I am not talking to him. I'm always the one who takes the initiative to do that. Poor child. Well, I'll go apologize and explain things to him now, just like he did to me. But first, I need to find him. So, having made up his mind, Takato began looking for him. But again, no matter how hard he tried, he could not find him anywhere. Disappointed and a little gloomy, Takato went back to Junta to inform him about the condition. Junta thought for some time about it, then said to him: "Takato-san, leave it to me. I'll talk to him about what the matter is." "But Chunta, he is hiding somewhere again. It means that he isn't in the mood to talk to anyone." "No Takato-san, the truth is, he doesn't want to talk to you actually. Remember that you yourself told me a while ago that he did not seem in the mood to talk to you. He went into hiding in the first place because he knew that you were going to come looking for him next. He's a smart kid and he did that with just one purpose: To stay away from you. So I think it's best to just give him some space for a while and let me try approaching him then. Maybe it's going to help more." The reality hit Takato like a brick wall. Azumaya was absolutely right, Ena was upset from him. And there was nothing left to do, but give Azumaya the chance to settle things now. But he really wondered what he had done to hurt his lovely, cheerful boy so badly, especially after he had told him that he would be his best friend. He hoped that things would get cleared up soon. It was causing two hearts great pain.

Meanwhile, in the secret place

Ena sat very still, thinking why Takato-san wasn't paying any attention to him then if he wasn't even angry with him. Did that mean that he did not love him anymore now? No, that could not be, he had told him that he would always be his best friend. The very thought of just being abandoned by Takato broke the young child's heart so badly that he physically felt the pain all around it and whimpered. He sat with his back to the wall, his face streaked with tears, sobbing his heart out. Such misery he was in that he forgot that he did not have dinner, until he heard Azumaya-san calling his name. He did not want him to get worried so he wiped his face and then quickly came out of his wardrobe.

Back in the house

"Ena-chan!! Where are you? It's dinnertime" Azumaya called him. Just as he was approaching out of the doorway of his bedroom, Azumaya saw him. "There you are! Where had you been for so long? Takato-san was getting very worried about you" Just by taking one look at his face, Azumaya could tell that he had been crying. His eyes were red and he was still shaking from all the sobbing slightly. Azumaya felt really sorry for him. Poor child. Something is definitely bothering him alot. He decided to talk to him after he had had his dinner. "Come on, mi querido, let's have some dinner" he said to him kindly. "I don't want to eat anything" Ena said to him. Azumaya had been expecting this already, so he didn't force him to. "Alright, then just go to your room, I'll join you later after I have mine" he said to him. So he went back to his room and Azumaya went to the dining room where Takato was already seated. "What happened. Did you find Ena?" he asked him. "No, more like he came out by himself. Must have heard me calling him. But please don't go to him right now, Takato-san. He's not feeling too good. Let me talk to him first." "How do you know?" Takato inquired. "Well, his eyes were red and his body was shaking slightly, most likely from all the crying and sobbing that he had been doing while in that place of his. And he said that he didn't want to have any dinner either. So I told him to go back to his room." Takato fell silent. "Don't worry, Takato-san. I'm sure things will get cleared up and he'll be fine after I talk to him. I'm going to do that after dinner."

Mi querido means "My dear" in Spanish

After dinner, Azumaya went up to Ena's bedroom. He found him already under his covers. He sat on the edge of his bed and called him over into his lap. After he was settled down, Azumaya put his arms around him and asked him: "Ena-chan, is something wrong? You have not been very talkative lately and you didn't even have any food. You can share it with me, if you would like to". The boy remained silent. Azumaya decided to approach the question from another angle. "I know that you were hiding away somewhere, crying. And Takato-san has noticed that you did not want to talk to him either. Is something the matter, my boy? But Ena kept silent again. Realising by now that he was not going to get anything out of him, Azumaya gave up. "Okay, let's go to sleep right now, you must be tired. We will talk about it tomorrow. Alright?" No response. Azumaya tucked him up under his covers and within a few minutes he fell into a deep sleep, clearly exhausted from all the amount of stress that he had been taking, while Azumaya sat there by his side a little while longer, pondering over and getting a bit worried about his condition now.

In Takato and Azumaya's bedroom

Back in the bedroom, Azumaya told Takato what had happened. "I wasn't able to get anything out of him, Takato-san. He refused to say anything. I tried twice but all I got both the times was complete silence. He's clearly in a lot of pain. But about what, I still don't know." Now it was Takato's turn to get silent. "You can go see him if you want to now. He's in a deep sleep, he was so tired from all the dilemma. Poor soul." So Takato got up and went immediately. Sure enough, he found him snoring. Takato knelt by his bedside and started talking to him, hoping that he could hear him in his dreams. "Ena-chan.. I'm sorry for hurting you, sweetheart. I'm so very very very sorry," he said to him while stroking his hair. "I never meant to do anything like that to you and I don't even know what I did. I hate seeing you like this, having your innocent little heart suffer so much that you decided to become silent. And I can't even explain how guilty I am feeling, knowing that I am the cause of all of this pain of yours. The one person whom you decided to love and trust so much. I do and always will love you beyond words, my one and only Ena-chan. So please, forgive me.. and trust me, love me, talk to me and come to me just like you did before. I miss you terribly, my love.." Takato was crying himself now. He kissed him on his forehead and on his hand that was out of the sheet, then tucked it inside as well. He stayed with him for a little while longer, stroking his hair, then kissed him goodnight one last time and went back to his bed. Had Ena been awake and heard these words from Takato himself, his heart would finally have been put at peace once again and he would have become the same happy, lively child that he had once been. But no such thing happened unfortunately, not even in his dreams, as Takato had hoped. In fact, his dreams were of quite the opposite nature. He was having dreams of Takato abandoning him, beating him and even in one, trying to drown him in a bathtub. He woke up terrified, though not screaming. Just gasping and then, after, becoming aware of his surroundings, he started crying. He went to his parents' bedroom where he found Azumaya still awake, reading a book. "Ena-chan!" he said, looking at him. "You are still awake? And are you crying again?" He lifted him up under his covers and asked him what was the matter. "I was having bad dreams, Junta-san." he said, then started crying all over again "There, there, it's okay dear. You can sleep with me tonight if you want to. Do you want to?" Ena nodded. Azumaya gave him one of his pillows. "Alright, let's settle down and go to sleep now, okay? Good boy." He noticed him looking at Takato and somehow or the other, had the faintest idea that his nightmares revolved around him. Maybe he was able to guess because of the way he was looking at him.. so fixedly. There was something in his gaze.. a mixture of fright and sadness it seemed. "Takato-san is already asleep" he told him. He turned off his bedside lamp and kissed him goodnight. After a while, they both fell asleep.

The next day

It was a weekend and everyone was at home. Azumaya had explained to Takato what had happened during the night when he enquired the reason for Ena presence on their bed. However, he moved away before he was up because he was not wanting to upset him again. But surprisingly today, Ena seemed to be in a better mood and even did not mind Takato being at the breakfast table with them. He was even about to say something to him, but Takato, having finished his breakfast, got up and left the table. So Ena decided to try some other time. He found his chance later on in the evening of that day. But things quickly started going wrong again, just when it seemed as if the storm had finally passed.

Takato was memorizing his lines again, but this time, he was feeling particularly tired and a little annoyed because there was this one line that he could not get into his head no matter what. It had been over an hour since he had been trying to cram it in, but his brain was not consenting to accommodate those difficult words. In the middle of this scene, came Ena. He as usual, wanted something from Takato and softly called his name one time, like he always did. Takato, on the other hand, who was really not in the mood to be disturbed right now, ended up saying to him "WHAT IS IT NOW ENA?? CAN'T YOU SEE THAT I'M BUSY??" And a split second later, he realized what exactly had he done. He had yelled at Ena. Takato had never, ever yelled at Ena. He loved him so much that he simply didn't have the heart to. On the other side, understandably the little child got really hurt and frightened by this unusual and unexpected behavior, especially when he saw it coming from a person whom he was so very close to and who had always been very gentle with him and he ran away crying and hid himself again. All this commotion brought Azumaya out of the dining room and he asked Takato what was going on. Embarrassed and highly ashamed of himself, Takato stammered out what had happened. "Really, Takato-san?! And just when he was starting to warm up to you again!" he said, then rushed off to find Ena. Takato started going after him, wanting to apologize to him for his behavior too, when Azumaya stopped him again. This time, he understood perfectly why and he stopped.

Meanwhile,

Ena was crying and sobbing heavily again. Takato-san had yelled at him. He had never yelled at him before. So that meant that he really didn't love him anymore. He already knew it. Convincing himself that this was the eternal truth now, the youngster started bawling, which made Azumaya, who was already on his way to look for him, be able to pinpoint his exact location. "Ena-chan, come here" he said to him. He lifted him up into his arms, where he immediately put his own tiny arms around his neck and buried his face in his shoulder, muffling his cries. Azumaya rubbed and patted his back gently. "Hush darling. It's alright." After he calmed down a bit, he took him to his bedroom. His body was still slightly shaking from all the sobbing, but otherwise he seemed fine. Or not. He was a little warmer than usual. Azumaya touched his forehead once again to confirm and realized that his shaking was not due to the sobbing either. It was due to chills. "Ena-chan, I think that you might have a slight fever coming on." he told him. "Are you feeling cold?" Ena nodded."A bit." he whispered. "Hang on, I'll cover you up." He wrapped him in a blanket. He seemed feverish and tired as well. Though the tiredness might well have been due to all the crying. While he was making all the adjustments to keep him comfortable, Ena started talking to him. "Junta-san?" "Yes Ena-chan?" "Doesn't Takato-san love me anymore?" The sadness in his voice and the question itself struck Junta like thunder. He had been waiting for him to tell him something, but he hadn't been expecting this at all. For a minute he wasn't able to say anything. Then he replied him "Of course he does dear. Takato-san could never, ever stop loving you. He loves you more than anything else in the entire world." "He won't ever beat me up, leave me or drown me in a bathtub right?" Azumaya was horrified at this question of his, especially the last one. "Of course not Ena-chan! He can't even think of doing anything like that to you! And how and why on Earth are you even thinking of things like that in the first place,boy??" "But then why did he not answer me and shout at me?" "He was just tired, mi querido. He's actually really, really busy these days. I forgot to tell you but he has another movie coming up. So he's preparing for that. He really never, ever meant to do all that he did to you, Ena-chan. He has missed you alot these days." "I missed him too. Very much. Can I please meet Takato-san, Junta-san?" "Of course. But for now, take some rest. Go to sleep so that you feel better when you wake up and then I'll bring Takato-san along as well." "Okay, Junta-san" After a few minutes, he fell asleep. And it was only then that everything that had happened the last few days, including the strange question that Ena had asked him, began to make sense to Azumaya. He would need to have a long and detailed talk with Takato soon. He decided to go downstairs and do it now, so that when Ena woke up, he would be a happy and lively child once again

Back in the TV lounge

Takato was sitting miserably on the couch, his book forgotten beside him. The only thing he could think of right now, was Ena. How badly he missed him and wished to make things right with him again. How could he even have done that to him?? He was so terribly ashamed of himself. Suddenly he saw Azumaya coming down the stairs. "Takato-san, are you free right now?" he asked him. "Well yes.. but why? Is anything the matter?" "No no, nothing too serious. I just want to talk to you about certain things in detail. "Oh alright. Sure, let's go up to our bedroom." "No, let's actually just talk over here because Ena is asleep in our room. He had a slight fever coming on so I put him to bed right there." "Oh.. so.. what did you want to talk about?" "I think that I have finally managed to make sense of all that has happened these past few days.. you know, between you and Ena." "Ohhhh I see. So what happened?" "Well, first of all, the day that you told me that you were going to be really busy, do you remember you saying to me that you won't be able to spend time with Ena now? And I said that we would explain to him why you were not doing so? Turns out we both completely forgot to tell the child that. So then, secondly, in the next few days, when you started ignoring him unconsciously, I think that since he had no clue as to why were you doing so, he got really, really upset because it's really not like you to do something like that. He thought that you were mad at him or something, so he apologized to you. But when you told him that you were not angry at him, that just ended up confusing him even more and he began to think that maybe you had stopped loving him altogether. And being so very attached to you as he is, I'm sure that only the very thought of such a thing happening must have been really painful for him. That is why he was hiding away and even refusing his dinner that night. I suppose he did not need to eat anything because his delicate little mind and heart were already too full of horrible thoughts and feelings of what was going to happen to him if you stopped loving him. That same night, he came to me in the middle of the night, crying, because he had been having nightmares. When I bundled him up into our bed, he stared at you. And it was no ordinary kind of stare. I thought that maybe he wanted to sleep with you instead, so I told him that you were already asleep. Today I got to know why he did that. It was because his nightmares were about you, which I have no doubt, were also due to the separation anxiety that he had been experiencing.. you were beating him, leaving him and even drowning him in a bathtub in one of them. The next day, I think, that he decided to try approaching you again because he was missing you so much, he just couldn't remain away from you for any longer. He was awfully lonely. But that same evening, you ended up yelling at him and pushing him away again. And this time around, based on what sense he had made of the events that occurred before, it finally convinced him that you had really left him for good and his distress was so extreme that he couldn't even stop crying.. I had to hold him for about an hour to get him to relax and now eventually, he's gotten sick. Poor child, he was even asking me whether you still loved him or not just a little while ago. And he was asking me why were you ignoring him and yelling at him and even if you would ever do the things to him that he saw in his nightmares in real. I think that you should come up and lie down with him now. He will be so happy, he was asking me if I could bring you to meet him a while ago." After listening to all this, a while later, Takato said: "It's my fault. I promise myself that from now on, I'll never leave him out, even if I'm really busy with my work again. It's really not fair for him to suffer so much. I'll go apologize to him for everything now and give him my this solemn promise as well." So they both got up and went to their bedroom. Takato lew down beside Ena, whose eyes were slightly open. He stroked his hair. Upon feeling him, he began whispering to him. "Takato-san.." "Shhh, I'm right here sweetheart." "Takato-san.. I love you.. please don't ever leave me again.." "I also love you more than you will ever know, Ena-chan. I never even left you in the first place. I was always right here, just a little busy. I'm so very sorry for everything that I put you through. I won't ever do that again, I promise" Takato shifted his position a bit, which made Ena think that he was leaving. "Takato-san.. please stay here for a little while longer.." "I'm not going anywhere dear. I'm right here.. beside you" He settled himself against a pillow and gently lifted Ena, blanket and all, into his lap. He was much too warm.. He held him in his arms. "Takato-san.. do you still love me?" Takato kissed him on his head. "Relax baby. I have, I do and I always will. And neither will I ever hurt you in any way, ever. So don't even think about things like that" After being reassured that he was never going to be abandoned by his beloved Takato now, Ena finally attained peace of mind and heart and his fever started going down as well. When he was feeling better, Takato took Ena outside in his arms, with his own arms around his neck and his face in his shoulder the same way as he had with Junta earlier. That night, after Takato put him to bed, a few minutes later, he came into his bedroom again. Azumaya saw him. "Ena-chan, why are you still awake? You have to go to school tomorrow, mi querido" he said to him. "Junta-san, can I sleep with you tonight?" he meekly asked him. He granted him permission, so Ena climbed up onto the bed and crawled straight into Takato's arms. "Oh, I see, so this is what you wanted to do all along, you naughty boy!" Junta said, laughing. Takato, who was already half asleep, was taken aback at feeling something so suddenly coming into his arms. He opened his eyes halfway through and was pleased to see that it was Ena. "Ahhh, Ena-chan! So you want to sleep with me tonight?" "Yes Takato-san, may I?" "Of course dear!" So Takato opened his blanket for him and he crawled underneath and settled down comfortably, sticking to his tummy, and then he covered him back and placed his own arms around him. This was, and always had been Ena's favorite sleeping position when he slept with Takato. He felt warm and cozy with the blanket all over him and Takato's own body heat and felt completely secure when Takato wrapped his arms around him from the inside of the blanket. That night, he was at his happiest that he had been in for a while and he woke up fresh and ready for school.

The next day

Ena came rushing home from school, but this time, out of excitement to meet Takato again, who was already waiting for him with his arms outstretched. He had especially taken off early today, just to meet him. As soon as he came, he raised a cry of "TAKATO-SAAAAN!!!" and then ran straight into his arms and Takato lifted him up and swung him around, then kissed him on his head. "Ena-chan!! How was your day today, sweetheart?" "It was great, Takato-san!! You know what, I got another new friend!" "Wowww really?! That's so good! Tell me all about it!" and the two of them went outside to sit on the doorsteps in front of the garden and talk about things in peace, in their Takato-and Ena-only time.

The End!


End file.
